Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.20.41
Visarga· Brahmā's creationKeep the Body Clean
“The ghosts and hobgoblins took possession of the body thrown off in the form of yawning by Brahmā, the creator of the living entities. This is also known as the sleep which causes drooling. The hobgoblins and ghosts attack men who are impure, and their attack is spoken of as insanity.”
What the purport teaches
- Ghosts and hobgoblins took possession of the body Brahmā gave up in the form of yawning.
- The translation connects this form with sleep that causes drooling.
- The purport describes an unclean state as an opportunity for ghosts to attack, linking such attacks with insanity. This is the text’s account, not a medical diagnosis.
Try this today
Take a moment today to wash and attend to your bodily cleanliness.
Ask yourself
How attentive am I to keeping my body clean?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.